University of Michigan-Flint food court, dining services see new sandwich shop, updated look

FLINT, MI – University of Michigan-Flint students this year are
seeing some upgrades to their dining experience.

From a new look to more food options,
students will see continued changes in the next year.

"There is a lot of really good stuff happening. We're
excited about that. We're not a super-large campus or have a large residential
population, so this is exciting," said Judy Birschbach, associate director for
Auxiliary and Recreational Services at UM-Flint. "What I think is really cool
here, we're doing this not just for the residential students but we're thinking
about our commuting student and our faculty."

The goal is to make the dining experience more student-friendly
and bring it up to date , Birschbach said.

Most changes that are planned will be seen in the future. The first of
the renovations was done at the beginning of the fall semester.

What was Clint's Café on the third floor of the University
Center received a facelift and has been changed into Erbert & Gerbert's
Sandwich Shop, a franchise sandwich shop with more than 50 other locations nationwide.

"The sandwich shop that was there was really kind of blah.
There wasn't anything special," Birschbach said. "Erbert & Gerbert's is a
really cool brand. It really got started on a college campus. ... It's really
meant to be a college feel."

The shop, which offers unique sandwich options and soups,
opened on Labor Day weekend. It is not only available to college students and staff,
but also to the public, Birschbach said.

Amanda Chowning, a freshman at UM-Flint, said she eats four
days a week at the food court in the University Center and she enjoys the look
of Erbert & Gerbert's.

"The food is really good. I like the atmosphere a lot," said
Chowning, 18, of Linden. "I definitely prefer to eat on campus versus off
campus."

Alecia Delcore, 32, of Shields said the new sandwich shop
doesn't really make a difference to her, since there was a sandwich shop there before.
But changes to the dining area would be good for students, she said.

Delcore, a graduate student at UM-Flint, suggested an area
that had a sports bar feel with multiple TV screens with games playing.

Facelift to dining
services

Dining services was started five years ago when
Residence Life was set up. It was designed primarily to serve resident
students. But renovations, updates and changes to the dining area on the third
floor of the University Center aim to target all students, Birschbach said.

"It was a good time for a facelift and to think about what
services we were providing," she said. "How can we make it a good experience
for non-residential students and how can we make it a good experience for residential
students?"

Construction is taking place to expand the grill
area and to add a bigger market area to allow shopping for items such as
cereal, laundry detergent, paper towels, toilet paper, bags of chips and
freezer-type meals.

With no grocery stores close by for the students, this will
make everyday items more accessible, Birschbach said.

The image shows plans of what university officials want the Riverview Dining Room at the University of Michigan-Flint to look like.Courtesy Photo

"We should in the next two weeks be able to open the
expanded area," she said. "The residential students are going to think that is
great."

Food options are important to those who are on campus a lot and those who live on
campus, said UM-Flint sophomore Kallie
Marcola, who shops at the store area a couple times every few days.

She hopes the expansion will include a variety of new
options including healthier snacks. To get something like a granola bar she
would have to walk to the UM-Flint Pavilion, even though her classes are on the
other side of campus, she said.

"I think (an expanded store area) is beneficial if students
want to get something small instead of something big to eat. I'm excited to see
how it's going to turn out," said Marcola, 20, of Fenton.

The Riverview Dining Room will also see an overhaul later in
the year.

Construction is tentatively scheduled to happen over winter
break with new seating and an updated look and feel.

"We are really trying to enhance the seating because we want
it to be a place for students to gather," Birschbach said. "We know students
gather around food. We wanted to make a little more of that atmosphere. ... We
wanted to create that concept of community dining and community living."

It would have a more modern design, booth seating and high-top tables near the windows that overlook the river. It would become more than
a place to just eat, but a place where students could relax and hang out,
Birschbach said.

Chowning has eaten in the Riverview Dining Room only a
couple of times because she feels like the rest of the food court has a more
comfortable atmosphere.

"I think (the renovations) would attract more students. The
changes are definitely a positive thing," she said.

More improvements on
the horizon

Many more plans are in the works to make the dining experience a
better one for those at UM-Flint.

Some of the changes to come include hiring a full-time chef, more menu options, providing healthier catering options and a
menu that has multiple pricing tiers.

Sodexo, the dining company that contracts with UM-Flint, had
its contracted renewed this year. With that came new options for students.

Within in the next month, a "Simply to Go" station -- quick and
simple sandwiches, fruit and veggies -- will be put into the Northbank Center to
serve the increasing number of students and faculty there. With the Simply to
Go station, Starbucks products could also be included in the Northbank Center.

Dining services officials are also in the process of hiring
a full-time chef who would oversee the kitchen and provide a greater variety
of menu options for the students. A
healthy "Mindful" program will be available to provide more nutritional entries
for most meals.

Both Chowning and Marcola said there are healthier options
in the food court area, but students have to search a little harder for them.
Having more options for students will be a good improvement, they said.

That really hasn't been given much of a priority in the
past, Birschbach said. More international meals will also be offered with
dining services, she said.

"I can't wait as we
finish projects and we can really put it out there to students. ... I think the
students are really, really going to enjoy the new options," Birschbach said.
"Next May, all the construction should be done with all the new changes that
we're looking at."